"Gozer the Traveler. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zools knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"

Jakjak: just go outside when it starts getting dark and grab ya a reclining lawn chair. Just because it says the peak will be between 1 and 3 does not mean that is th only time you can see it.

I was in Seattle for the Persieds in August and was taking photos around 10 PM, long before the peak ever hit. I captured a whole bunch of meteors on film. One 45 second exposure I took had 7 of them in it.

Gasmasher: Use a laser pointer. Aim at the sensor on the top. Leave the laser on while you are observing.

Isn't every new meteor shower the most intense shower in the last 1000 years? It seems like every time a new shower comes up astronomers and the like start talking like they were raised on aol "l33t n3w MEATIOR SHOVVA GUNNA OWNZ U!!!!!" Crazies.

TheWhiteDragon: Thank you. One of the funniest scenes from one of the best movies of all time.

Dereliction: Seems that way, doesn't it? Unfortunately there are astronomers who are too damn worried about seeing their names up in lights instead of checking their numbers before they run out and contact the media. All the junk astronomy "Asteroid is gonna hit the Earth in 30 years!" makes me wanna puke. Or better yet, kick those guys in the crotch.

However, this group that is saying 4200/hour has a pretty decent track record. They are looking at comet paths and debris density to come up with this figure.

Another important event - and actually the most important part of it - is that we are only three days after a new moon, so no moonlight to get in the way like it did last year. That means everything.

Last year was pretty neat though, even if I did have moonlight to contend with. The meteors I saw from my light polluted back yard were simply astounding. They looked a lot like those wizzy yellowish colored fireworks that end up making a big sparkly blossom. Very slow moving (for a meteor) and trails that just seemed to last forever.